The Fifty-eighth Discourse
You acquire so much knowledge, but do not put it into practice! Close the record book [diwan] of learning ['ilm] and spread out the record book of practice ['amal] with sincerity [ikhlas], otherwise you will have no success. While you are merely acquiring knowledge, you show an impudent attitude toward the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) by your actions. You have cast off the cloak of modesty from your eyes, and have treated Him as the most insignificant of those who are watching you. You accept in accordance with your passions [hawa], reject according to your passions and are motivated by your passions, so you will surely be destroyed by your passions. You should feel a sense of shame before Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) under all circumstances, and must act in accordance with His law [hukm]. If you practice the outer aspect [zahir] of the law, that practice will bring you closer to the knowledge ['ilm'] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O Allah, rouse us from the slumber of the heedless! Amin.
When you commit sins, afflictions come and fall upon you, but if you repent, seek forgiveness of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and turn to Him for help, they will fall around you. You are bound to experience some tribulation, so you must ask Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) to let it be accompanied by patience and compliance, so that what is between you and Him may be unimpaired. The scratch marks will then be on the external form [qalab], not the heart [qalb], on the outer [zahir] and not in the inner [batin], on property and not on religion [din]. The trial will thus prove to be a blessing [ni'ma] and not a curse [niqma].
O hypocrite [munafiq], you have been satisfied to let your obedience to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His Messenger be nominal and not meaningful. Such is your falsehood both outwardly and inwardly, so you are surely to be despised in both this world and the hereafter. The disobedient sinner is despicable within himself, and the liar is despicable within himself. O learned one, do not dirty your knowledge in the presence of the sons of this world. Do not trade something noble for something worthy of contempt. The noble thing is knowledge, and the contemptible thing is the stuff of this world that they hold in their hands. Creatures are unable to give you that which has not been assigned to your lot. It is only your allotted share [qism] that passes through their hands, so if you are patient your share will come to you by way of their hands, and you will keep your dignity.
Woe unto you! Those who must be sustained do not provide sustenance. Those who must receive do not give. Devote yourself to the obedient service of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and stop plying Him with requests, for He does not need you to inform Him and make Him aware of what is in your best interests. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said in one of His utterances:
If someone is too busy remembering Me to ask me for anything, to him I shall give the very best of what I give to those who ask.
As for remembrance [dhikr] by the tongue without the heart, there is no honor or dignity for you in that. Remembrance means remembrance by the heart and the innermost being [sirr], and only then remembrance by the tongue. When the servant's remembrance of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is at it should be, the Lord of Truth will remember him, as He said:
So remember Me, and I will remember you. Be thankful to Me, and be not grateful toward Me. (2:152)
You must remember Him so that He will remember you. Remember Him until remembrance relieves you of your heavy loads, leaving you free from any burden of sin, so that you become obedience with no disobedience, for then He will remember you among those whom He remembers. You must therefore be preoccupied with Him to the exclusion of His creatures, and be too busy remembering Him to ask Him for anything. He must become your whole objective, so that you are distracted from all your other goals. When He has become your whole aim and purpose, He will put the keys to the treasure houses of sovereignty into the hand of your heart.
When someone loves Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), that person can love no one but Him. He removes from your heart the love of all that is apart from Him. When the love of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) takes control of a servant's heart, the love of all others departs from his heart. Have you no mind with which to consider and understand? Have you never been in the presence of someone at the moment of death? Your turn will come, and the Angel of Death will knock on the door of your life. He will snatch that life away and part you from your family and your loved ones. You must try not to be taken while you are reluctant to meet Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). You must forward your goods to the hereafter and wait for death, for in the presence of Allah (Almighty and Glorious if He) you will see something better than anything you have seen in this lower world.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard is against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
- Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, The Sublime Revelation (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani)

As for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains the ego its desires, the Garden is shelter.(The Snatchers:40)

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked, undesirable things."(Bukhari)

Whoever does good at night is rewarded during the day and whoever does good during the day is rewarded at night. Whoever is sincere in abandoning a desire is saved from catering to it. God is too noble to punish a heart that has abandoned a desire for His sake.(Abu Sulayman ad-Darani)

Beware of your ego, and trust not its mischief; The ego is worse than seventy devils. (Arabic Poem)

I seek God's forgiveness, and do not claim that my intention in producing this Blog is confined to good religious purposes; how may I do so when I am aware of the hidden desires,
egotistic passions, and worldly wishes that I harbour?
I do not claim innocence for myself; the ego is indeed an inciter to evil, save when my Lord shows mercy; my Lord is indeed Forgiving, Merciful.
O God! I seek Your protection against my committing idolatry [shirk] knowingly, and Your forgiveness for that of which I am not aware!
I ask God to make me and all other believers benefit from this Blog and to render my production of it purely for the sake of His Noble Countenance.